TY - JOUR
T1 - A study of human serum sickness
AU - Lawley, T. J.
AU - Bielory, L.
AU - Gascon, P.
AU - Yancey, K. B.
AU - Young, N. S.
AU - Frank, M. M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Dermatology Branch, National Cancer Institute (TJL, KBY), Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (LB, PC, N S Y), and Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (MMF), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - Twelve patients with bone marrow failure, who were undergoing therapy with daily intravenous infusions of horse antithymocyte globulin, were studied for the development of serum sickness. Eleven of 12 patients developed typical signs and symptoms of serum sickness 8-13 days after the initiation of treatment. These included fever, malaise, cutaneous eruptions, arthralgias, gastrointestinal disturbances, and lymphadenopathy. Eleven of 12 patients developed high levels of circulating immune complexes during serum sickness. All 12 patients also had concomitant decreases of serum C3 and C4 levels. In addition to urticarial and/or morbilliform eruptions, 8 of 11 patients also developed a serpiginous band of erythema along the sides of the fingers, hands, toes, or feet as an early cutaneous sign of serum sickness. Direct immunofluorescence of lesional skin biopsies during serum sickness revealed deposits of immunoglobulin or complement in the walls of small cutaneous blood vessels in 3 of 5 patients. These findings indicate that circulating immune complexes play a central role in the pathophysiology of human serum sickness.
AB - Twelve patients with bone marrow failure, who were undergoing therapy with daily intravenous infusions of horse antithymocyte globulin, were studied for the development of serum sickness. Eleven of 12 patients developed typical signs and symptoms of serum sickness 8-13 days after the initiation of treatment. These included fever, malaise, cutaneous eruptions, arthralgias, gastrointestinal disturbances, and lymphadenopathy. Eleven of 12 patients developed high levels of circulating immune complexes during serum sickness. All 12 patients also had concomitant decreases of serum C3 and C4 levels. In addition to urticarial and/or morbilliform eruptions, 8 of 11 patients also developed a serpiginous band of erythema along the sides of the fingers, hands, toes, or feet as an early cutaneous sign of serum sickness. Direct immunofluorescence of lesional skin biopsies during serum sickness revealed deposits of immunoglobulin or complement in the walls of small cutaneous blood vessels in 3 of 5 patients. These findings indicate that circulating immune complexes play a central role in the pathophysiology of human serum sickness.
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U2 - 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12275641
DO - 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12275641
M3 - Article
C2 - 3891879
AN - SCOPUS:0022395766
SN - 0022-202X
VL - 85
SP - S129-S132
JO - Journal of Investigative Dermatology
JF - Journal of Investigative Dermatology
IS - SUPPL. 1
ER -